New Bedford third among Gateway Cities in unemployment

11.9 percent unemployment for area is worst region in state;14 percent for New Bedford is better than Fall River and Lawrence.

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southcoasttoday.com

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Posted Mar. 14, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Posted Mar. 14, 2013 at 12:01 AM

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The unemployment rate for the New Bedford metropolitan area rose 1.7 percentage points in January, bringing it to 11.9 percent and maintaining its position as highest in the state.

The number of people with jobs dropped by 1,497, while the number of unemployed increased by 1,514.

Kevin Franck, a spokesman at the Massachusetts Office of Labor and Workforce, said that the unemployment figures can be deceptive for coastal towns because they don't account for seasonal shifts in employment.

"These are seasonally unadjusted numbers, and January is one of the months where there's the lowest numbers of seasonal unemployment," Franck said.

Because of the seasonal nature of its economy, Provincetown soars above the rest of the state with nearly 38 percent unemployment.

Statewide, the January seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was 7.4 percent, a tenth of a percentage point lower than the January 2012 rate.

Though the metropolitan area — as defined by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics — leads the state in unemployment, several cities have higher jobless rates.

New Bedford ranks ninth highest in unemployment, with 14.2 percent of the workforce without work.

Of the state's 11 post-industrial Gateway Cities, three rank in the top 10: Lawrence with 15.1 percent, Fall River with 14.9 percent and New Bedford with just over 14 percent.

New Bedford's unemployment rate climbed 0.1 percentage point over last January's figure.